Talks on a proposed Rochester arena will continue next week.
The topic is listed on the Mayo Civic Center Commission's agenda for Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 3 p.m. The meetings take place in the Mayo Civic Center Offices Conference Room.
According to the agenda, PricewaterhouseCoopers will present its analysis for a sports and entertainment arena in Rochester. PwC — an accountant and consulting firm — is the fifth largest privately held company in the U.S.
Representatives from the Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is leading the arena effort, were not able to provide us additional details ahead of the presentation.
Back in 2015, the RCVB commissioned a feasibility study on the possibility of building a new sports and entertainment facility in Rochester. Here's what we reported at the time:
- [Plans] call for the demolition of the Mayo Civic Center's Taylor Arena and the construction of a new facility anchored by a United States Hockey League team.
- The group focused their presentation on three proposals, ranging in cost from $55-$75 million (early estimates).
- Each would be suitable for USHL games, as well as other forms of entertainment like concerts, "pro" wrestling performances and monster truck shows.
- The results of their study suggest a new arena could host 116 annual events, including 32 hockey games.
It remains unclear how much public funding would be needed to build an arena, or whether there would be enough support from the city council to apply any resources to the project.
We also don't know at this point whether plans have changed since the 2015 presentation. Brad Jones, RCVB's executive director, told us in March that discussions were being held with potential investors, tenants, sponsors and other interested parties.
The Mayo Civic Center recently finished construction on its $84 million expansion and renovation project. The outdated Taylor Arena was not part of the project.
